:^20 



Freely Imported Speeies. 



in to make up pairs, for in this case the odd bird invarialjly 

 finds its mate and later will be shown where food is to ho 

 found, in fact conducted to it. However, all rules have tlicir 

 exceptions, and the exception here is the Bunting -tribe, Avho 

 appear to take little notice of their mates. 



At present I have four pairs of adult Fireflnehes and 

 two young at least, and very nice they look too, when disjiorting 

 amid the living greenery of their natural flight, 



There are three of these jolly little chaps, each witii 

 his modest little wife in one aviary. At first I tried to breed 

 them in a cage, a nesl was soon built and many eggs laid, 

 only to be thrown out of the nest. After three or four weeks 

 of this, I for one got tired of it, and one morningj I opened! 

 the cage door, out they came and without delay started to build 

 a nesl once more: this time a cigar box with a hole near the 

 top was chosen as the home and nursery for their "brood. 



Into this they carried an accumulation oi' rubbish, hay, 

 fealher,->. etc.. till it was almost full; eggs were laid and in- 



cubatei steadily ior 

 -ouie days, when, l)e- 

 lu'ving them to be ab- 

 -ent, I lifted down the 

 nest, out came the cock 

 -they promptly de- 

 serted! 



AH three pairs 

 forowe 1 this by several 

 unsuccessful atiempts, 

 but one day, on enter- 

 ing the aviary, two 

 wH'ird little objects met 

 in,\' eye: what on earfh 

 w ere they ? Father 

 l-Miefiiich, with mucli 

 excitement, jiromprly 

 ir. E, T,xrhe„nder, pho/o. ^^ettled the questiou by 

 YOUNG FIREFINCH IN NEST. feeding his progeny, 

 Anepisodeof Mr. Teschemaker's Aviary in 1906 and thus two more 

 young Fireflnches were, for good or evil, launclu-d into the 

 world. This was on July lOtli, and now (Septemi,>er 18th) 



